Google+ updated today to support the iPad. The new universal app, meaning it runs on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, has been completely redesigned with the larger iPad screen in mind. Google is pull out all the stops in its assault against Facebook, riding the momentum of buzz after its Google I/O conference and targeting Facebook’s weak iPad app.
Google is taking Google+ much more seriously than its other products by keeping the user experience the same (for the most part) across all platforms. Will this be enough to gain more users that Google+ desperately needs to compete with Facebook and Twitter? Let’s find out.
The first thing iPad users will notice is just how much more visual the iPad app is compared to the iPhone and Android phone apps. The iPad’s ample screen real estate really emphasizes beautiful pictures in your Google+ stream. Google+ for iPad features a minimal interface throughout. Text shows up nice and crisp, especially on the New iPad’s Retina Display. Composing an update, adding a photo, or checking in is done with the same minimalist flair, darkening the background but still allowing the user to see the big, beautiful pictures behind the update box.
Speaking of pictures, Google+ for the iPad allows users to automatically upload any photos they’ve taken to Google+ with Instant Upload. If you enable this feature, all of your pictures will be synced to Google+ but won’t be shared with anyone unless you specifically want to. This is a great way to back up photos and works similarly to Apple’s Photo Stream.
Google+ brings Hangouts to the tablet, enabling iPad users to start or join a Hangout. Hangouts worked smoothly for the most part, but crashed on me during testing. Other than this, the Google+ app is quite stable on the iPad. To start a Hangout, you can search your list of friends or tap on the auto-generated list of people who are logged into Google Talk.
Unfortunately the iPad version of Google+ is still missing many features. There are no Google+ Events integration yet, which made its debut on the iPhone today. There’s also no Messenger app integrated into Google+ to allow instant messaging to your friends. This seems like an odd omission as this feature is included on the iPhone and Android version.
One thing to note is that many photos show up very tiny, even when expanded. I believe this is an issue with articles using low resolution photos, which Google+ pulls into the app. If users upload high resolution photos, they will show up large in your stream. You can still tap on a photo to expand it, giving the ability to pinch and zoom. There is still no option to download photographs in the iOS version of Google+.
Overall, Google+ for the iPad is a well designed application that makes browsing news stories and photos a pleasure. Although Google+ is still struggling with adoption, these new features and its gorgeously designed applications on pretty much every major platform may help Google+ gain some traction.
